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In Jordan, a ‘stunning’ discovery under Petra’s ancient stone

(www.nytimes.com)
85 points aguaviva | 1 comments | 14 Oct 24 18:46 UTC | HN request time: 0.205s | source
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sorokod ◴[15 Oct 24 17:53 UTC] No.41851138[source]▶
That ground penetrating radar really delivers but what is the stunning part?
replies(1): >>41852424 #
parsimo2010 ◴[15 Oct 24 19:51 UTC] No.41852424[source]▶
Finding 12 ancient skeletons in a place that was not previously known as a tomb is pretty stunning. Imagine if you found 12 bodies under your neighborhood bank- people would freak out, and it's not nearly as old as the Petra Treasury.
replies(1): >>41852732 #
sorokod ◴[15 Oct 24 20:25 UTC] No.41852732[source]▶
Many places we know now as tombs weren't known as such before, that is untill some skeletons were found.
replies(2): >>41853357 #>>41854703 #
parsimo2010 ◴[16 Oct 24 01:10 UTC] No.41854703[source]▶
What makes it unusual was this place was very well known as a treasury beforehand and has been a popular tourist attraction for over 100 years.
replies(1): >>41857279 #
1. mkl ◴[16 Oct 24 09:49 UTC] No.41857279[source]▶
It's well known it was never an actual treasury; there's not much inside to it, and it's the first main "building" you see when entering through the canyon, designed to impress rather than store valuables. The name comes from rumour/legend: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Khazneh#Name. Most of the cliff structures are tombs.